Quick Start Guide

Address book

An address book is a place where you can keep and organize your remote connections. Each connection represents a specific remote computer. Connections have properties such as the destination address, access password (if saved), color depth and so on.

Remote Utilities allows you to back up and encrypt your address books stored locally.

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MSI Configurator

MSI Configurator is a built-in tool that helps you create a custom Host or Agent installer for deployment across your remote computers.

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Remote Install

The Remote Install tool is a built-in tool that facilitates Host deployment across multiple stand-alone or domain remote PCs. You can use the tool to install, uninstall, start, stop and update a remote Host.

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Agent

Agent is a remote module for spontaneous-only support. The Agent displays its own window that can be branded with your custom logo and text. Agent doesn't require installation and administrative privileges to run.

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Viewer

Viewer is a single "command center" used by a support technician/admin. The Viewer is where you keep your address book, start remote sessions and manage your licenses.

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Host

The Host is a remote module installed on a target (i.e. remote) PC. This module works for both unattended and attended access.

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Internet-ID connection

An Internet-ID connection uses an intermediary server on the Web ("Internet-ID server") to broker a remote connection between Viewer and Host.

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RU Server

Remote Utilities Server (RU Server) is self-hosted server software that you can install on your premises. You can set up RU Server to perform the following roles:

Thank you for downloading Remote Utilities! This guide gives you some basics about the program and helps you set up your first remote connection. For complete information on available features, please refer to the documentation.

About Remote Utilities

The program consists of two stand-alone modules — Viewer and Host.

Viewer

The Viewer is installed on the computer you use to connect to remote computers. Throughout this guide we will call this computer your admin PC.

The Viewer module allows you to store and manage your connections by grouping them into folders and address books. Connections represent your remote PCs. In the screenshot above, a connection called “My remote PC” has been created in Folder 1 of the “General” address book.

The Viewer has advanced built-in tools such as MSI Configurator and Remote Install. These tools are designed to help with administration and deployment across multiple target PCs.

Host

The Host is installed on the remote PC to which you connect. In this guide we will call this computer the target PC.

The Host icon is visible in the system tray on the target PC. You can access the Host settings if you right-click on the icon. By default, the Host starts automatically with Windows, but you can change this behavior in the Host settings.

Installation

Instead of the standard Viewer package you can use the Portable Viewer and run it off a removable disc (e.g. a USB stick). Portable Viewer doesn't require installation — just download it, copy onto your removable device and run the Viewer executable (rutview.exe) from there.

If you need to provide quick, ad hoc support to a user sitting at the remote PC, just have them download and run the Agent instead of installing the Host. The Agent doesn't require installation and administrative privileges. It does, however, require the remote user to run it before a remote session can start. Once they close the Agent window the remote session terminates.

If you need help with installing Remote Utilities please refer to this installation guide.

Connection types

With Remote Utilities you can connect to a target PC in two different ways:

Direct connection

This is when you connect from Viewer to Host without any intermediary in-between. All communication is conducted exclusively between Viewer and Host. This connection type is used primarily on a LAN or VPN network.

Direct connection always provides best possible performance and speed. However, if direct connection is established over the Internet, additional configuration steps might be necessary, such as creating a port forwarding rule in the router on the Host side.

Internet-ID connection

This connection type uses a relay server — a web server that makes remote connection possible when the Host is not in direct visibility of the Viewer. The server helps bypass firewalls and routers, so that no additional network configuration is necessary.

A relay server may be:

Our public server. This is the default option suitable for most users.

Self-hosted server. This is an advanced option suitable for extensive helpdesk operation and multi-user environment. You can learn more about self-hosted server here.

The steps below describe how to establish an Internet-ID connection that uses our public server (the default server option). For other connection types please refer to the program documentation.

Getting connected

On the target PC (Host):

3. A unique Internet-ID code will be generated. Note the Internet-ID code and close the window:

On the admin PC (Viewer):

1. Start the Viewer app and click Add Connection:

2. Enter a descriptive name and the Internet-ID of the target PC and click OK:

3. Enter Host access password in the password prompt and click OK:

Important!

You should have set the Host access password during Host installation. If you didn't , you can always set or change the password later. Right-click the Host icon, select Settings for Host ➝ Authorization, enable the Single password checkbox, set and confirm a new password and click OK. Learn more about Host security settings.

4. The remote session will start in the selected connection mode. In this example it’s the Full Control mode:

5. The connection will be saved to your address book. Note a small globe at the top right corner of the connection icon — it signifies that this is the Internet-ID connection type:

Registration

The Viewer works in the trial mode for 30 days. In order to use the Viewer beyond the trial period, you will need to register it with a license key. Other program modules such as Host, Agent and RU Server do not require registration.